Abstract
Purpose
Severe lower extremity trauma presents challenges in decision-making in terms of reconstruction or amputation. While injury severity scores have been developed to aid decision-making in adults, evaluation of their use in children is limited.
Methods
Children presenting with severe lower limb trauma from 2000 to 2010 in a major trauma centre were identified from a trauma registry. Records were reviewed for details of the injury, surgical intervention, amputation and scores for the Mangled Extremity Severity Score, Limb Salvage Index, Predictive Salvage Index, Nerve injury, Ischaemia, Soft tissue injury, Skeletal injury, Shock, Age System and the Hanover Fracture Scale 1998.
Results
Twenty children (average age 8.7 years) were eligible for inclusion. There were three primary amputations and no secondary amputations. All of the scoring systems had poor specificity and would have recommended amputation in several limbs that were successfully reconstructed.
Conclusions
Currently available injury severity scores behave differently in children and adults. In their current format, these scores should not be used as an absolute indication for early amputation in children.
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Acknowledgements
The study was supported by the Leslie Eric Paddle Scholarship from the University of Melbourne. The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of Mary Sheedy.
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Stewart, D.A., Coombs, C.J. & Graham, H.K. Application of lower extremity injury severity scores in children. J Child Orthop 6, 427–431 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11832-012-0439-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11832-012-0439-6